Duo comes up with instant upma maker

Several ‘smart’ food-related innovations have hit the market in recent years and here comes another one — an ‘Upma Maker’.

Madan G, who is associated with the K-Tech Innovation Centre, with the support of his mentor Dr KR Prakash, professor and head Centre for Automation Technology, National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, has developed a machine/device that can cook Upma.

Madan told Bangalore Mirror, “As a student at NIE in 2014, I remember a businessman approaching Dr K R Prakash and telling him that we need automatic machines to cook various South Indian dishes. That was when we decided develop a smart machine as part of a student project.”

The project draws its inspiration from the coffee-vending machine. “I was wondering, why we can’t cook the similar way? Even after passing out from the college, I did not give up my work on it. An induction stove forms the base of the cooking machine, currently two items – upma and kesri bath. The user has the option to select the dish he wants.

Once the device starts preparing the items, the user can get back to other work,” he said. The project is in its R&D stage and a commercial launch is expected soon.

He is working on making the device compatible for five dishes, including kesri bath, bisi bele bath and sweet and khara pongal.